


Swap

by TuppingLiberty



Series: Tlib February Ficlet Challenge 2018 [3]
Category: Superstition Hockey
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magical Realism, Animal Transformation, Crack, M/M, Maybe the Hockey Gods did it?, Mention of Luc's food problems, Multi, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-02-03
Packaged: 2019-03-13 05:12:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13563564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TuppingLiberty/pseuds/TuppingLiberty
Summary: Luc's feeling anxious after going out in the second round the year after they win the cup. Someone, maybe the Hockey Gods, thinks he needs a new perspective.(Based loosely on Freaky Friday or the 10th Kingdom)This is crack that's a little serious, too.Day 3 of the February Ficlet Challenge: Character B turns into a dog.With the pairing Luc/Oliver/Crash





	Swap

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Until the Whistle](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12633378) by [Superstition_hockey](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Superstition_hockey/pseuds/Superstition_hockey). 



> One month. Twenty-eight prompts. Twenty-eight pairings. One ficlet a day. Write Fast.
> 
> CW: anxiety; also Luc's disordered eating/food problems are mentioned.
> 
> Thank you, Superstition_Hockey, for these characters and this delightful universe.

Luc’s anxious, and even throwing the frisbee for Mako as the waves crash into the shore isn’t helping. He feels like his teeth are permanently clenched into his bottom lip, and he opens his jaw wide, works it side to side like he’d been shown to relieve tension there. Still, he’s got this low-level underlying anxiety that’s not going away with any of the tricks the sports psychs have taught him. 

They’d lost. Gone out in the second round. There are lots of explanations, of course. Different team makeup, with G retired, and Rosie getting injured right before playoffs hadn’t been ideal either. But the early loss, on the heels of lifting the cup - well, it’s not hard for Luc to blame himself, and it’s not exactly hard for the press to blame Luc either. Or blame Luc and Jacks together, blame their relationship as ‘a distraction.’

Mako whines below him, distracting him, and he realizes she’s dropped the frisbee at his feet. Probably had been waiting for him for awhile now. He shakes his head. He’s working on it, and he’s trying not to spiral, and that’s why Jacks brought him here, back to California for a few weeks this summer. They’ve rented out a place close to the surf house, because Jacks needs his time alone and that’s not really a thing at the surf house, but they’ve been sleeping over there more often than not.

So they’re here, watching Crash and Sleets train, tossing the frisbee for Mako, training a little themselves, fucking a lot. But Luc hasn't found the key to letting go yet this year. 

For now, he sits down in the sand and pulls Mako to him, running over her beautiful gray fur in sure, solid strokes that make her quiver with delight. She smiles at him, like she always does, because she’s the best dog in the entire world, and he tells her so, her tail wagging like crazy. 

He bumps heads with her, his forehead resting on hers as she tries to lick his face and yips excitedly. He can’t help but smile, even as he says aloud, “Must be nice to be a dog. All you have to worry about is when I’m coming home, huh?” His eyes fell shut, and he lets her win, licking his face in big stripes of drool. 

_ And then it happens. _

He’s so, so happy. Quivering with happiness because the love of his life is touching him, paying attention to him, loving him. He opens his eyes, expecting to see Jacks, of course, of course it’s Jacks rubbing him down like this, only Jacks makes him feel  _ this _ good. He opens his eyes, about to kiss Jacks on the mouth, but- but it’s not Jacks. It’s- it’s  _ him. _ It’s Luc. There, above him, looking at him with wide eyes. “What the fuck?” Luc says. He hasn’t had his yearly THC indulgence yet this year, but- no, he’s probably just dreaming.

Dreaming would explain why his “What the fuck?” came out as a weird growling bark, right?

“Papa?” Luc says to him. Well, Not-Luc, can’t be Luc, there can’t be  _ two Lucs. _

_ Where’s Jacks to make the joke about how two Lucs would be too much for the world to handle?  _ he thinks nervously. 

Not-Luc reaches out and pats him on top of the head, and it feels nice at the same time that it doesn’t because he’s  _ freaking the fuck out. _ “Papa?” Not-Luc says again. 

“Okay but what the actual fuck,” Luc tries, but nope, just barking, barking that makes Not-Luc look a little scared, and now Luc looks around, looks down, his fears confirmed. 

Luc has paws.

Four of them.

And a tail.

And light gray fur.

And he can’t see it right now, but probably cutely messed up ears. 

Because Luc is Mako.

And looking up at Not-Luc, he’s pretty fucking sure that Mako is now Luc. 

Luc’s whole body vibrates, that’s a new one, check that off the list of anxiety symptoms. Above him, Mako-Luc frowns, running his- her? - hands over his- her? - body. Luc whines, because the pronouns are too hard to figure out. But her hands feel really nice, kind of like when Jacks cards through his hair after sex, or when they’re just sitting around the house. Or fuck, now that they’re out, Jacks does it out with the guys, too, just when they’re in a booth, thighs touching, getting a little buzzed on beer. Jacks will slide his arm around Luc’s shoulder and be possessive and Luc  _ loves  _ it. 

It kind of feels like this. There’s a rightness to Mako-Luc’s hands, like even if he’s freaking the fuck out, those hands will be there to calm him down, because they always have been, and they always will be, forever and ever, because Mako-Luc has him. 

“Scared, papa,” Mako-Luc whispers, and Luc tries to climb into her lap, to give her the same comfort she’s giving him. He licks anything he can get his tongue on, and makes her laugh, which feels  _ awesome. _

He smells something amazing on her, too, but it takes him a few moments to realize it’s Jacks. He snuffles in deep, scenting it, and then it’s like...like there’s a trail straight to where Jacks is, in the surf house. He gives Mako-Luc a lick, then scampers off in that direction. 

Running with four legs is kind of fun, way more fun that running with two legs. He can gallop, chase, skip, and yeah, fucking  _ scamper. _ He’s never fucking scampered in his life. He tends to take very deliberate movements, all the time. Never in a million years would he …  _ bounce. _

Spying Jacks on the couch, he immediately jumps up and into his lap, looking up at his husband with adoring eyes, the ones he pretends he doesn’t know he’s making. 

“Hey Maki, where’s your papa?” Jacks absently pets him, scratching behind his ears in a way that makes Luc want to scratch there himself, and goes back to looking at something on his phone. 

Luc whines, nipping a little at Jacks’ hand, not enough to break skin, but enough that Jacks looks down sharply at him, and no, he doesn’t like that look at all. He whines again. 

“You hungry, girl?” Jacks stands, setting Luc on the floor and heading for the kitchen. “Luc?” he calls, and Luc’s tail wags, happily following, even though he knows Jacks is trying to call his human body. 

The minute the smell of the dog kibble hits his nose, he starts drooling and he realizes with a start that he’s  _ starving. _ He’s- Luc pauses in the middle of the kitchen, looking at the kibble - he’s never been  _ starving _ before. Food is fuel. Food isn’t - he doesn’t  _ enjoy _ food, ever, not really. 

Jacks whistles, frowning at him, which makes sense. Normally Mako attacks the bowl like she hasn’t eaten in weeks, and now he knows why - because food is  _ awesome. _

He hesitates no longer, scarfing down the kibble, finding it in all the little nooks and crannies of the special bowl they got to slow down Mako’s eating so she wouldn’t throw up. He’s done in minutes, happy, satisfied. He should probably find Jacks again and show him how happy he is. 

“Jacks?!” Crash’s voice is urgent outside, and Luc sees Jacks rush through the kitchen and out the back door. Ears pricking up, Luc follows.

Crash has her surfboard under one arm, and is holding hands with Mako-Luc with the other. Mako-Luc looks extremely confused, and Crash is worried. 

“Something’s wrong with Luc. I found him wandering around the beach, like he didn’t know how to get home? And he keeps saying ‘papa’. We need to get him to the hospital, right now.” Crash’s voice is frantic, and Luc whines. 

“Luc?” Jacks asks urgently, cupping Mako-Luc’s cheeks. Mako-Luc is crying, and Jacks is definitely freaked out, and no, no, no, they can’t go to the  _ hospital. _ The hospital isn’t going to know what the fuck to do. 

Mako-Luc drops to her knees and bundles Luc into her arms. “Papa,” she keeps whispering. 

“Luc, everything is fine,” Jacks says now, exchanging glances with Crash. “Your dad is fine. We just talked to him and your mom last night, remember? Crash, call 911.” 

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck. Okay. No, okay. There’s no way it’s ending up on Deadspin that Luc had a mental breakdown over the summer. Fuck. Okay. He barks up a storm, and Crash and Jacks yell at him, but that’s only because they’re freaked out, too. 

It takes him a minute, and it’s sloppy, but he finally gets his message scratched out in the sand. When he’s done, he pulls Jacks over by his shorts, almost ripping them off because Jacks won’t leave Mako-Luc’s side, because of course he won’t, he loves Luc. 

“Mako, what- I need you to-” Jacks pauses as Luc sits beside his message patiently. “What- what the  _ fuck.” _

Crash comes out beside him, her phone at her ear, her mouth hanging open. “Um, never mind,” she says into the phone. “We’re going to take him into urgent care.” She hangs up, and turns to Jacks. “What the fuck, Jacks.” 

They both look at Luc’s message again.

**I’m Luc,** the sand reads. 

Mako-Luc wipes her eyes and nods frantically. “Mako,” she says, pointing at herself. She leans over and picks up Luc. “Papa.” She repeats this a couple of times while Jacks and Crash just stare. Luc wags his tail to really get the message across. 

“I need- to sit down,” Jacks says eventually, and they all move into the living room. Luc squeezes in between Mako-Luc and Jacks, both of them running their fingers over him, which is the best feeling ever. 

Crash is sitting on a crate facing them, her elbows on her knees. “How did this happen?’

Mako-Luc shrugs, and sniffles. “Throw. Kisses. Papa,” she says miserably. “Good girl?”

“Um-” Jacks starts, then fails. 

“Yeah, you’re a good girl, Mako,” Crash says gently, reaching out to pat her knee.

“Why are you not freaking out?” 

Crash looks at Jacks and shrugs just like Mako-Luc had. “Sometimes these things happen. Or so I’ve heard.”

“So how do- how do we get Luc back?” Jacks asks hesitantly, scrubbing a hand over his face. 

“I’m not sure. Mako, do you remember anything from before you changed?” 

“Papa was sad,” Mako whispered. 

Jacks fingers found an amazing spot right between Luc’s ears. “Why were you sad, Luc?” 

Luc doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Who could be sad when  _ two _ people are petting you at the same time?

But then Jacks continues, “Are you sad about playoffs?” and something spears like anxiety into Luc’s heart. He shivers, and Jacks resumes scratching his ears. “It’s okay, Luc.” 

It’s really not, though. Not okay. He shifts, tucking his tail between his legs, laying his head down on his paws. He should have done better. 

“You’re a good-” Jacks hesitates for a second, “boy, Luc. You’re a good, good boy. You did a good job, yes you did.” He’s talking in his little kid and pet voice, and Luc’s having a hard time not untucking his tail and letting it thump. 

“Good boy,” Crash repeats, scratching under his chin. 

It’s pure bliss, that little spike of anxiety receding in the love being shown him. Except Mako-Luc is still frowning, and crying a little, and looking anxious. 

And it’s not fair, really, to Mako. Mako’s his good girl, she doesn’t deserve to take on all the crap in his brain. But he’s grateful that she let him feel this, just for a little bit. He stands on her chest and licks her cheek, tasting the saltiness of the tears. 

_ And then it happens. _

“Luc?” Jacks asks, and he’s very blessedly not looking down at Mako, but over at him. 

“Yeah, I think so,” Luc says with a laugh, squeezing his fingers and letting them spread out. “That was weird as fuck.” 

“That’s an understatement, baby-”

Luc laughs again, wiping Mako’s tears from his eyes. “Yeah,  _ absolutement.”  _  He begins to rub Mako all over, watching her quiver with happiness and probably relief. 

Crash is still squeezing his knee, and Jacks has an arm around his shoulders, and the weird dissociative feeling is slowly leaving his body. Quietly, he begins to tell Jacks and Crash everything - the lingering anxiety, the doubts about his own performance, how much what the press had been saying was getting to him. By the time he’s finished, he’s in Jacks’ lap, Jacks’ lips against his forehead, his legs in Crash’s lap. Mako is tucked up by her side, and she’s stroking over Luc’s calf at the same time she strokes Mako’s fur. Luc feels surrounded by love. 

“I felt so free,” he whispers. “Just- just didn’t have to feel in control, for just a little bit. Like when you-” he blushes, and Jacks sweeps his bangs back. 

“What?” Jacks asks, grinning but not saying anything about his blush. 

“Like when you tied me up.” 

Jacks’ grin gets wider. “Ah, I see.” 

“We can make that happen,” Crash offers. “If you guys didn’t bring supplies, there’s a ranch store a couple miles over. Or if you want a kink place, you can go into the city.” 

This time, Luc grins back, and extends a hand to fist bump her. He elbows Jack lightly. “Hey, while we’re out, let's get Mako a really nice, marrowy bone from the butcher place.” 

Jacks laughs, and kisses him. 

**Author's Note:**

> So this is also kind of a promise to myself that I'm going to write that Luc/Crash/Jacks bondage threesome at some point.
> 
> Thanks for reading! <3


End file.
